How changes in the dynamic of crop susceptibility and cultural practices can be used to better control the spread of a fungal pathogen at the plot scale?

•We developed a PDE–ODE model to simulate the spread of powdery mildew of grapevine.•Simulations are performed at plot scale.•Crop heterogeneities (growth and susceptibility), cultural management are considered.•Effects of spatial heterogeneities on disease control are tested.

A PDEs–ODEs model was developed to describe the spread of an airborne fungal pathogen on grapevine. The model was able to retrieve the main characteristics of the system: (1) a host growing during the whole season with time evolution in susceptibility, (2) a crop highly structured in rows with potential heterogeneities of plant growth and susceptibility within and between plots. These characteristics are modified by cultural management. Simulations were performed to test the effect of crop spatial heterogeneities, within and between plots, on the disease spread. Heterogeneities considered were the plant growth (vigour, earliness), susceptibility (susceptible vs resistant, treated vs untreated) and the spatial arrangements (patches vs rows). The main effect on disease reduction was obtained by arrangement in rows of susceptible and fully resistant plants.